[Coweta Arts Tidbits] The Civil War Oratorio At The Wadsworth in November

Coweta Arts Tidbits The Successor To Newnan-Coweta Arts Council News Releases Composed By: Forrest W. Schultz 770-583-3258     October 8, 2008   Twilight Theatre To Perform The Civil War at the Wadsworth in November   Famous Play/Oratorio Directed By Tony Peregoy             The Wadsworth in Newnan is getting ever more recognition as a great venue for performances.  The next event by a prestigious group of performing artists will be the presentation of a play which has gained in popularity over the years, The Civil War oratorio, by the award winning Fayette-based Twilight Theatre Troupe directed by Tony Peregoy.  The Vocal Director will be Ellie Shelton; and the Music Director Laini Benefield and the number of songs will be far too numerous to list!  This play is so involved that a special section of the Twilight website is devoted to it. http://www.thetwilighttheatre.com/The_Civil_War/index.html.  There are many pictures of scenes as well as discussions.        The play is described as a "dramatical musical event" in the form of a "moving song cycle" about the events and feelings of this traumatic period of our nation's history. The songs and the action covers not just the battles of the war but the entire lives of the people.  The focus is on what the war meant to the people.  There is no attempt to draw any conclusions or make any political statements.        There will be four performances:  November 14, 15, 21, and 22, each of these nights beginning at 8 PM.  Tickets will be $15 for general admission, and $12 for students, senior citizens, and military personnel. Tickets can be purchased online via a link on the Twilight website, www.TheTwilightTheatre.com or at Scott's Bookstore on the Courthouse Square in downtown Newnan.            The Civil War is a dramatic musical event about the lives of people who lived during the single most defining period in American history, and for whom the war brought pride, sorrow, faith, freedom, despair, and death. It feeds upon the emotions in all of us and brings the true tragedy of war home.  The play is a moving song-cycle which weaves an emotional tapestry from our nation's history. The show draws on letters and speeches, and uses projections including actual photographs from the war. It is staged as a musical oratorio, leaving a traditional book behind. All of this brings the music and the subject material into sharp focus.